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Kyle Busch meets with the media Tuesday in Charlotte. Photo by HHP for Charlotte Motor Speedway

Kyle Busch critical of NASCAR’s emphasis on younger drivers

32-year-old calls NASCAR's marketing of new drivers 'stupid'

January 23, 2018

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It wasn’t all that long ago that Kyle Busch was "that young driver." He entered the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series full time in 2005 when he was 20. Fast-forward to today and after 43 race wins along with a Cup title, Busch is now a veteran, despite his relatively young age of 32.

“Obviously, it's a unique opportunity for me being one of the elder statesmen, if you will, of the sport, let alone Joe Gibbs Racing,” Busch said Tuesday during the preseason NASCAR Media Tour hosted by Charlotte Motor Speedway. “Being able to kind of lead our younger guys, if you will, Erik (Jones) and Daniel (Suarez); those guys have come through Kyle Busch Motorsports, so it's been fun to watch them progress through the years with the Truck Series, the Xfinity Series and now being into the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.”

The current crop of young drivers has been getting a great deal of attention lately. With veterans retiring, and others losing rides, NASCAR has been marketing newer, young drivers: Chase Elliott, Jones, Suarez and William Byron, among others.

And that has Busch a bit frustrated.

"It is bothersome,” Busch said. “We've paid our dues, and our sponsors have and everything else, and all you're doing is advertising all these younger guys for fans to figure out and pick up on and choose as their favorite driver.

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“But I don't know, I'm not the marketing genius that's behind this deal. You know, I just do what I can do, and my part of it is what my part is.”

There may be a reason veterans aren’t being called on as much as the younger drivers.

“I guess one thing that can be said is probably the younger guys are bullied into doing more things than the older guys are because we say no a lot more because we've been there, done that and have families, things like that, and want to spend as much time as we can at home,” Busch said. “You know, maybe that's some of it. But you know, it's … some of these marketing campaigns and things like that, pushing these younger drivers, is I wouldn't say all that fair."

For Byron, the 20-year-old driver who will be taking over the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy in the Cup Series this season, it’s all about showing what he and the other youngsters can do.

“I feel like its all relative,” Byron said sitting in the same chair Busch occupied only moments before. “When new guys come in, it’s kind of a fresh thing to talk about. We’re ultimately just going to have to prove ourselves on the racetrack and do things that show we are capable of being part of this sport. I think that’s going to show over time, and hopefully a couple of us young guys can win some more races.”